Problem: Jessica earns a base salary of $400.00 every week with an additional 12% commission on everything she sells. If Jessica sold $1100.00 worth of items last week, what was her total salary?
Answer: First, find the amount of commission made by using the following formula: commission rate $\times$ total sales $=$ amount of commission made Since the commission rate is a percentage, we have to convert it into a decimal first. Percent means "out of one hundred," so $12\%$ is equivalent to $\frac{12}{100}$ which is also equal to $12 \div 100$ $12 \div 100 = 0.12$ Now you have all the information you need to find the amount of commission made: $0.12$ $\times$ $$1100.00$ $=$ $$132.00$ We can find the total salary for Jessica by adding the amount of commission made to her base salary. amount of commission made $+$ base salary $=$ total salary $$132.00$ $+$ $$400.00$ $=$ $$532.00$ The total salary Jessica made last week was $$532.00$.